BOOTED EAGLE. 103 
Eagle's nest until this morning, when we took Jose from second Venti 
with us, as well as Jose the "Molugurno," with ropes, hammers, nails, 
etc., etc. The second Venti youth, however, scorned all our prepa- 
rations and never used the rope at all, at either of the two nests. 
In the high nest were two eggs, and in the other, one; so we secured 
three, leaving a hen's egg, which is something like the Eagle's, minus 
rufous marking, in each nest. The eggs were much alike in colouring; 
dirty white with pale rufous markings; but the single egg was much 
rounder than the others. The lengths were two inches and six-thirties, 
two inches and six-thirties, two inches and three-thirties, by one inch 
twenty-four-thirties, one inch and twenty-five-thirties, and one inch 
twenty-seven-thirties. One of these nests was completely hid by ivy, 
so as to make it very difficult to find. 
The nest alluded to as being built on the horizontal branch of a 
large oak tree overhanging a pond, was pulled down and thrown to 
the ground by one of my companions, in the beginning of the summer 
of 1872. Next spring the nest was back again, stick for stick, in 
exactly the same place. All the pellets of the Booted Eagle that ever 
I saw contained rabbit's fur." 
The specimen above alluded to in the Norwich Museum, has the 
head, nape, chest, belly, and under tail feathers white, with longitudinal 
ferruginous markings, and darker central streaks on the feathers of 
the chest. On the head and nape the ground-colour is nearly lost, so 
as to appear dusky brown. Moustache darker, and well marked; 
primaries black; tail brown. The iris is said by Temminck to be 
dark brown; the cere and toes, by Degland, to be greenish yellow. 
Young birds are described as reddish brown above, more decidedly 
so on the head; light red below, with the streaks of a darker tint 
on the shafts of the feathers. — (Degland.) 
In the "Madras Journal," vol. x., page 75, Mr. Jerdon remarks: — 
"My attention was first called to this bird at Trinchinopoly, by Mr. 
Hooper, C.S., who shot a specimen in the act of pouncing on some 
of his pigeons. I occasionally afterwards recognised it, as I thought, 
among the Kites, and saw it attempt to swoop off chickens and pigeons. 
Its appearance in the air and mode of flight much resemble that of 
the Kite; but the Crows appear to distinguish it readily, and often 
clamorously pursue it." 
The Rev. H. B. Tristram writes of this bird, in his " Catalogue of 
Eggs for 1857:" — "This symmetrical little bird, so like a Buzzard in 
repose, so unlike it on the wing, is only a summer visitant to Southern 
Algeria. It breeds on ledges of rocks, and seems to prefer the cliffs 
and open country to the forests. It lays two eggs, longer and a little 
